Detailed Sample Task: EAL Literacy

CLB 4L - Listening
Comprehending Information

Health and Wellness

Real-World Task

Listen to a short description about the benefits and possible side effects of a flu shot.

Planning Context

Helpful Knowledge:

Present simple
Basic knowledge of some common health symptoms such as headache, pain, feeling tired and so on.

Context:

Health Canada recommends the flu shot to nearly everyone over 6 months of age.

Vocabulary and Grammar

Sample Vocabulary:

Sample Grammar:

Modal verbs: can

Knowledge and Strategies

Textual and Functional Knowledge:

Comparisons usually include pros and cons, such as benefits and side effects.

Sociolinguistic Knowledge:

If you have any questions about a vaccine, you can ask a pharmacist, nurse, or doctor.

Activities and Tasks

Sample Skill-Building Activities:

Discuss as a class: what is influenza / the flu? What are the symptoms? Has anyone in the class ever had the flu? What do you do when you have the flu? Elicit strategies such as over-the-counter medication to manage a fever, rest, drinking fluids, staying home to avoid passing it to other people.
Discuss as a class: what is a vaccination? Teach the word flu shot as the common name for the influenza vaccination. Has anyone in the class had a vaccination?
How did you feel after getting the flu shot?
Review vocabulary and have learners write words to complete a mini-dictionary.
Practice vocabulary using a variety of activities, such as matching, fill in the blanks, Bingo, Taboo (in which one learner describes a word without saying it and the other learners guess), crossword puzzles, putting the words in alphabetical order,
and so on.
Practice a dialogue between a nurse and
a patient in which the nurse is administering a flu shot and telling the patient about potential side effects.
Discuss as a class: where can you get a flu shot in your community?
Review the modal can and practice by filling in blanks, editing incorrect sentences, and writing sentences.
Discuss side effects. Read a list of common possible side effects for a flu shot.
Talk about the difference between common side effects and possible side effects.
As a class, brainstorm a list of benefits and possible side effects of getting a flu shot on the board.
Listen to the instructor read out a statement about the flu shot and determine if it is a benefit or a possible side effect.

Sample Skill-Using Tasks:

Listen to a dialogue between a nurse
and a patient discussing the benefits of getting a flu shot and possible side effects. Demonstrate understanding by answering comprehension questions.

Sample Assessment Tasks:

Listen to a short description about the benefits and possible side effects of a flu shot. Demonstrate understanding by answering comprehension questions.

Teaching Considerations

Cultural Considerations:

People from different cultures may have traditional medicines. Avoid making any judgements on the efficacy of traditional versus western medicine and avoid making any medical recommendations. People may have different opinions about vaccines which may also include misinformation. As best as possible, refer to sources such as Health Canada for information about vaccines.
Most Newcomers to Canada have to get a suite of vaccinations during their immigration process so may be familiar with some vaccinations.

Digital Literacy Strategies:

Successful completion of some tasks may require some baseline knowledge and digital skills.

Learners may need to:

Have keyboarding and typing skills.
Locate, navigate and use websites.
Use familiar apps, social media platforms and web pages.
Read information from a screen.
Scan online resources to find information.
Read formatted texts online, such as forms or labels.

Instructors can:

Dedicate time to improve digital literacy for learners.
Make and/ or adapt digital materials.
Introduce websites that are relevant to the task(s).
Support learners in finding, navigating and using websites.
Teach reading strategies such as skimming and scanning to find information on websites.
Refer learners to programs to improve their digital skills.

Equity, Diversity, Inclusion and Indigenization Strategies:

Use diverse representations of people in all your learning resources and images, including people who are 2SLGBTQIA+, Indigenous, Francophone and of other cultures, and people who have disabilities or who are neurodivergent. Consider this diversity as you choose names for characters in stories you create as well.
Recognize that women may not have had access to medical care. Make sure these learners are aware of their rights in Canada and the resources that are available to them.
Make sure that learners understand how to access medical care in Canada. Make sure learners understand what medical care is free, and that there is sometimes a cost involved in a prescription, and that there are ways to get help with those costs.

Trauma-informed Strategies:

Possible Trauma Triggers:

Learners who have experienced trauma may find discussions of medical care triggering. Learners who are frightened or phobic about needles may find discussions of vaccines triggering.
When teaching about Canada, you may teach about things that are triggering to learners who have experienced trauma. We can’t know what the triggers might be and what seems commonplace to us may have a triggering component for learners. Be aware of this and be prepared to support learners as needed.

Strategies:

Give learners advance warning of this topic and be aware that there may be learners who require support.
Learners who have experienced trauma often benefit from having routine. Create a safe and supportive classroom environment by establishing familiar routines, repeated activities, and model friendly and non-evaluative interactions.
Learners will benefit from positive relationships established in the classroom with the instructor and peers.
Learners who have experienced trauma benefit from having choices.
- Allow learners choice:
  - the choice to work on a different topic
  - the choice to share or not share their own experiences
  - the choice to work alone or to work with others
  - the choice to take care of themselves
  - the choice to step out of the learning environment
When learners have shared personal distressing or traumatic experiences, make space for learners to feel safe and recover from the experience of sharing their experiences. Follow the activities which may make learners feel vulnerable with routine, predictable and comforting activities.
Giving learners the knowledge, skills and language to access resources can be empowering.

Resources

Outings, Guest Speaker Suggestions, Extension Activities:

Attend a talk by a public health nurse on medication and vaccinations.
Visit a pharmacy and complete an LEA (Language Experience Approach) story.
Look up local pharmacies online that provide a flu shot and note the closest one, including the address, phone number, and opening hours.

Realia:

Empty medication bottles
Pamphlets or handouts on influenza

Units and Modules:

The Literacy Centre of Expertise at TIES: Staying Healthy: CLB 2L/3L (Not the right level but can be adapted)
Tutela (CCLB): At the Walk-In Clinic: CLB 3/4 (Not literacy but can be adapted)

Lessons and Activities:

Tutela (OCDSB): Assessment Task: Comparing Information on Prescription Medicine Labels: CLB 4 (Not literacy but can be adapted)
Tutela: Norquest LINC Phonics Curriculum: CLB 4L
A search of NLCG (nlcg.achev.ca) may provide additional tasks that can be adapted.

Multimedia: